Mumbai: In an unexpected response to a Right to Information (RTI) application on a file seeking sanctions for constructing a restaurant in Andheri, the trustee of city-based NGO, Watchdog Foundation, Godfrey Pimenta was informed by the BMC’s building proposal (BP) department that the file is ‘missing’.
The NGO has now raked up the long-standing issue of files allegedly going missing mysteriously from the BMC offices, severely hampering transparency and accountability within the civic body’s departments.
On January 15, Pimenta wrote to the office of Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis, highlighting the government’s failure to probe into the matter of missing files and alleged irregularities.
In his letter to the Chief Minister’s Office, Pimenta wrote, “It is shocking that despite explicit directions from the erstwhile CM, Eknath Shinde, to agencies concerned to probe serious allegations regarding nearly 3,000 missing files from the BP department, there appears to be no substantive progress.”
On behalf of the Industrial Premises Cooperative Society, Pimenta had filed an RTI to obtain sanctioned plans of Shakuntala Restaurant, located at Nand Dham Industrial Estate, Marol, Andheri East. However, the RTI response dated January 2, 2024 by the Public Information Officer, BP (Western Suburbs I) said that “The File No. GBII/9988/A is not available in this office record (missing file). We regret that the desired information cannot be furnished to you.”
Speaking to the FPJ, Pimenta said, “The restaurant came up before 2013. However, there are recent complaints of it encroaching mandatory open spaces. I was astonished to get a reply that the file is missing.”
“The information requested under the RTI pertains to the period before 2013 when a major scam emerged about missing files from the BMC’s BP department. The BMC had the opportunity to reconstruct all missing files by gathering information from property owners, the property tax department, the license department, and the fire brigade. However, the lack of willpower within the BMC has hindered the reconstruction of its own records,” Pimenta said.
“This is not an isolated case. It is a recurring pattern, especially concerning illegal constructions, particularly commercial structures. This indicates a systemic failure and, more disturbingly, a deliberate attempt to shield illegal activities and corruption within the department,” he said.
In 2013, at least 3,747 files went missing from the BMC’s BP department. In 2017, the corporation claimed to have traced or recreated most of the files that went missing mysteriously.
Mumbai BJP president, MLA Ashish Shelar had reportedly demanded police action into the issue and insisted that 7,000 files had gone missing from the department. The FPJ tried contacting Shelar seeking his comment on the BMC’s missing files issue, but he could not be reached.
A senior officer from the BP department said, “Since 2015, all documents have been uploaded online. Everything is digitised and there is no question of files missing.” The officer, however, said he was not aware of the update on tracing missing files as it was an old issue.
